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Introduction


The Arctic is the region around the Earth's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole. The Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean (which overlies the North Pole) and parts of Canada, Greenland (a territory of Denmark), Russia, the United States (Alaska), Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The word Arctic comes from the Greek word arktos (άρκτος) , which means bear. The name refers to the constellation Ursa Major, the "Great Bear", which dominates the northern region of the celestial sphere.

There are numerous definitions of the Arctic region. The boundary is generally considered to be north of the Arctic Circle (66° 33’N), which is the approximate limit of the midnight sun and the polar night. Other definitions are based on climate and ecology, such as the 10°C (50°F) July isotherm, which roughly corresponds to the tree line in most of the Arctic. Socially and politically, the Arctic region includes the northern territories of the eight Arctic states, including Lapland, although by natural science definitions much of this territory is considered subarctic.

The Arctic region consists of a vast ice-covered ocean (which is sometimes considered to be a northern arm of the Atlantic Ocean) surrounded by treeless, frozen ground. In recent years the extent of the ice pack has declined, with a record summer low set in 2012, and the lowest winter maximum set in 2016.

Life in the Arctic includes organisms living in the ice, zooplankton and phytoplankton, fish and marine mammals, birds, land animals such as polar bears, plants, and human societies.

Selected articles

Adult of subspecies pealei or tundrius, Alaska
The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known simply as the Peregrine,[1] and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America,[2] is a cosmopolitan bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is a large, crow-sized falcon, with a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache". As with other bird-eating raptors, the female is bigger than the male.[3][4] Authorities recognize 17–19 subspecies, which vary in appearance and range; there is disagreement over whether the distinctive Barbary Falcon is a subspecies or a distinct species.

The Peregrine's breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the Tropics. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, excepting extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests; the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand. This makes it the world's most widespread bird of prey.[5] Both the English and scientific names of this species mean "wandering falcon", referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations.

Selected biography

Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈɾuːɑl ˈɑmʉnsən]), (July 16, 1872 – c. June 18, 1928) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912. He was also the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage. He disappeared in June 1928 while taking part in a rescue mission. With Douglas Mawson, Robert Falcon Scott, and Ernest Shackleton, Amundsen was a key expedition leader during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

In 1903, Amundsen led the first expedition to successfully traverse the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (something explorers had been attempting since the days of Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Jacques Cartier, and Henry Hudson), with six others in a 47 ton steel seal hunting vessel, Gjøa.

In the news

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Description:RMS Titanic's bow as seen from the Russian MIR I submersible.

Author: Kevin Saff

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Did you know

Tookoolito, from an 1862 engraving



Jan Nagórski


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Quotation

  • As I stood there on the top of the world and I thought of the hundreds of men who had lost their lives in the effort to reach it [North Pole], I felt profoundly grateful that I had the honor of representing my race.

Features

Things to do

  • Place the {{WikiProject Arctic}} project banner on the talk pages of all articles within the scope of the project.
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Selected panorama

Hardangerfjord
Panoramic view of the Hardangerfjord in the county of Hordaland, Norway.

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References

  1. ^ Heinzel, H.; Fitter, R.S.R.; Parslow, J. (1995), Birds of Britain and Europe (5 ed.), London: HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-219894-0
  2. ^ Friedmann, H. (1950), "The birds of North and Middle America", U.S. National Museum Bulletin, 50 (11): 1–793
  3. ^ White, C.M.; et al. (1994), "Family Falconidae", in del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A.; Sargatal, J., Handbook of Birds of the World: New World Vultures to Guineafowl, 2, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 216–275, plates 24-28, ISBN 84-87334-15-6
  4. ^ Snow, D.W.; et al. (1998), The complete birds of the western Palaearctic on CD-ROM, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0192685791
  5. ^ Ferguson-Lees, J.; Christie, D.A. (2001), Raptors of the World, London: Christopher Helm, ISBN 0-7136-8026-1
  6. ^ Northwest Territories Official Languages Act, 1988 (as amended 1988, 1991-1992, 2003)